Jiang Zhou rolled his eyes and moved a little closer, asking, “What method?”

Lu Heng was momentarily stunned, glancing at him with a hint of defensiveness.

Not entirely foolish, he recognized the importance of this secret to his survival. Revealing it might cost him numerous opportunities to survive, so he hesitated.

Seeing Lu Heng’s expression, Jiang Zhou sighed intentionally, saying, “If it’s inconvenient for Brother Lu, forget it. I just wanted to make sure.” He feigned sadness, saying, “I don’t even know what I’m doing. Who will preserve the family legacy with no one to carry on the mantle? It’s too tough.”

Lu Heng was surprised, “Doesn’t that Wen Yan have a son? You two seemed to have a good relationship at the restaurant.”

Jiang Zhou shook his head, “That’s all for show! He’s not my biological son, so I always feel uneasy.”

Lu Heng felt a twinge of sadness, “It feels really bad to wake up and be a father for other.”

In a drunken haze, his thoughts muddled, he gazed at Jiang Zhou with hazy eyes. He sensed a hint of sadness in Jiang Zhou’s eyes and momentarily felt a bit proud. “Brother Jiang, no need to be sad! Actually, I can tell you about this.”

Jiang Zhou immediately showed a look of joy, “Really?”

Lu Heng nodded, “That’s natural.”

Confused by the wine, he felt a sense of pity for Jiang Zhou and wanted to help him. Caught off guard, he shared, “It’s actually very simple. You just need your relatives to say, no matter who you are, I trust you, and then feed them a bowl of blood.”

“Is it that simple?” Jiang Zhou frowned.

Lu Heng, somewhat unconscious due to the alcohol, thought Jiang Zhou didn’t trust him and grew a bit angry, saying, “You don’t believe me!”

Jiang Zhou shook his head, “It’s not that I don’t trust you; I just find it a bit strange.”

Having encountered the memories of time travelers, Jiang Zhou naturally knew that some people were atheists. With many things that science could prove, he was led to be skeptical of the existence of ghosts and demons.

“Is just saying that one sentence enough?” Jiang Zhou questioned, “There shouldn’t be any demons and monsters in this world. How can it be done with just one sentence? This is too outrageous!”

Lu Heng sobered up a bit, “You don’t understand. If you think about it carefully, even time travel can happen to us, so why can’t our souls be influenced by just a word?”

Seeing Jiang Zhou’s expression of disbelief, he felt annoyed, saying, “Honestly, when I traveled through time in your body, I encountered a group of fox demons in the back mountain. They could understand human language and were aware of the world. They could easily discern that I wasn’t the original.”

Jiang Zhou raised his eyebrows, “Then what?”

“They said that in my previous life, I did good deeds and saved their ancestors. Foreseeing that my soul might face rejection in the future, they came to help me.” Lu Heng continued, “They offered two choices: one was to continue changing bodies in the future, weakening each time. The other was to forcibly lock the soul in this body.”

Jiang Zhou didn’t believe it: “There are no side effects?”

Lu Heng shrugged and said, “There must be. Think about it; if you are forcibly locked in this body, if your relatives don’t approve, and your soul is torn but forcibly fixed, you will definitely go crazy in the end, right?” Once they went crazy, there wouldn’t be many chances to survive.

Although Lu Heng was drunk, he still admired Jiang Zhou subconsciously—he was a real miser who could endure the pain that might occur in the future for money!

Then he fell asleep.

.

Jiang Zhou was left alone to meditate: They all say the truth was spoken after drinking. It was not that Jiang Zhou didn’t believe what Lu Heng said. He was afraid that Lu Heng had also been deceived by the so-called fox demons.

If the fox demons was deceiving him, then if Jiang Zhou failed, he would probably scare the snake and make Lu Heng defensive. Then it would be difficult to find a way next time.

He decided to act by ear. Furthermore, this method required the cooperation of Master Zhuo Bang. Master Zhuo might not believe that there was a new person in his son. Even if Master Zhuo believed it, he absolutely wanted his son to be back.

How could he not want his biological son back? How could he let Lu Heng occupy his son’s body forever?

Jiang Zhou couldn’t figure it out for the moment, so he turned around and thought of the Shihe Restaurant they mentioned.

Such restaurants were truly distasteful. The key issue was most people couldn’t do anything about them. After all, if one restaurant went bankrupt, they could simply open another one. With enough funds, they could always turn a profit.

Judging from Jiang Zhou’s recent performance with his hot pot restaurant, they had also been affected. Not everyone possessed a refined palate like Jiang Zhou, unable to discern the nuances in hot pot. Many were enticed by the prices at Shihe Restaurant, leading to a significant customer influx.

Just observe how many people visited it.

Jiang Zhou was not one to passively accept adversity; he always fights back. Whenever someone crossed him, he retaliated without fail.

Relying on various merchants to boycott wasn’t an ideal solution. Their town only had two larger restaurants, and Sihe Restaurant had already pulled out. The remaining restaurant, to be honest, might not step forward unless offended by Shihe Restaurant.

Therefore, Jiang Zhou found himself in a solitary battle.

Engaging in a price war was unreasonable, and Jiang Zhou couldn’t afford it.

They must target their meat sourcing practices.

.

Gradually, a rumor circulates in the town that some chickens were raised in improper ways, and consuming these chickens could lead to sickness.

The rumors worsen, significantly impacting all chicken-related businesses on the street. Lujiang Restaurant and Fenjiang Tower, being the primary users of chicken, bore the brunt of the fallout. Their menus resembled each other, and people in the town inevitably formed differing opinions.

“What do you think these abnormal methods could be?”

“What else could it be? It must be to save money. Those unscrupulous businessmen must have employed shady methods for the sake of profit.”

Suddenly, fewer people in town were buying chickens.

Not to mention for Lujiang Restaurant and Fenjiang Tower; despite some customers still dining, chicken sales had slowed. The signature dish, Roasted Chicken, saw fewer orders, and the store’s turnover had been halved.

Lu Dalang, visibly anxious, bursts out, “Aren’t you in a hurry at all?”

Lujiang Restaurant and the breeding farm was his primary source of money, and his livelihood was intertwined with the entire village. If it collapsed, dozens of families would face trouble.

Jiang Zhou, maintaining composure, responded, “Now you have to prove it for yourself.”

“Self-certify?”

“Of course.” Jiang Zhou gestured for him to sit down, “There can’t be any problems with your farm; it’s all normal. Since you are innocent, why not go to the government office to prove yourself as soon as possible?”

He absolutely needed to go and encourage other farmers to do the same.

This was a method Jiang Zhou devised based on modern catering. Hygiene issues were a caterer’s worst nightmare. Once such a problem raised, the restaurant’s reputation was tarnished, and diners stayed away. The restaurant’s operation became challenging.

At this point, applying for self-certification was the best course of action.

Lu Dalang, feeling the urgency, promptly contacted other retail investors and headed to the government office to seek a solution.

.

In the lobby, more than a dozen farmers, led by Lu Dalang, awaited their turn. Liu Chengfeng, upon seeing the group, sensed a familiar scene and recalled Liu Lin’s incident, darkening his face: “What’s the matter?”

“Sir, I wonder if you’ve heard the recent rumors circulating in town?”

Busy with the Flower Festival, Liu Chengfeng hadn’t paid much attention to the new rumors: “What rumors?”

Several farmers quickly explained the situation.

Liu Chengfeng frowns, “Is there a plague in the town?”

Lu Dalang bows, “No.”

Liu Chengfeng waves his hand, “If there isn’t, just clarify it. Why come to me?”

“Sir, while it’s our responsibility to clarify, people might not believe it. It’s better for the government to address it.”

Observing Liu Chengfeng’s frown, one of them adds, “Moreover, if you consider it, wouldn’t it be an opportunity to investigate? Though the plague hasn’t occurred, without a basis, how can such rumors spread? It’s better to investigate now, preventing future trouble and safeguarding your political standing.”

These were Jiang Zhou’s words and being taught to Lu Dalang, this way he was certain that Liu Chengfeng would gamble for his political achievements. Liu Lin, his brother-in-law, had already impeded him. Despite addressing his relatives’ wrongdoings during his term, the stain of lax family management lingered.

This was why he went to great lengths to host the garden party this time. Now, with someone offering political achievements, he had no reason to decline, even if it meant involving a few government officials.

He rolled his eyes and agreed, “Then check it!”

Lu Dalang smiled, “Sir, investigating those small farms is trivial and laborious. Why not start with the big ones.”

Liu Chengfeng inquired, “How many big ones are there in the town?”

“There are only two in total: one from Yanghe Village, where I am, and the other from Nanshan Village. However, the owner there is not present. Which one would you like to start with?”

Frowning, Liu Chengfeng considered that since Lu Dalang was already here, he wasn’t afraid of investigation and couldn’t escape. Why not begin with the one in Nanshan Village?

Lu Dalang didn’t know why Jiang Zhou suggested checking Nanshan Village first, but recalling the meat and chicken raising matter mentioned before, he sensed it might lead to valuable insights.

“If you want to investigate, you might as well take us with you, Sir. Government officials may not understand the specifics of chicken raising, but we are well-acquainted with it.”

Liu Chengfeng nodded, “Then let’s go to Nanshan Village first!”